This year marks the first anniversary of the October 7, 2023 terrorist attacks against Israel. 32 Americans died in those attacks, and four of the Americans taken hostage that day remain in captivity. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) released a video remembering the...
Following Hurricane Helene’s catastrophic damage throughout Florida’s gulf coast, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) met with the Florida Farm Bureau as well as local agricultural producers, farmers, and growers to discuss the storm’s impact. Photos are courtesy of...
Following Hurricane Helene’s catastrophic damage throughout Florida’s Gulf Coast, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) met with local officials and volunteers from the barrier islands to discuss the storm’s impact and current recovery efforts. Photos are courtesy of...
Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 storm, causing catastrophic damage along Florida’s Gulf Coast. It’s crucial for the federal government to expedite state-requested resources and authorize key policy flexibilities in order for Floridians to make a swift...
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio’s (R-FL) office will host two in-person events to assist constituents affected by Hurricane Helene and help navigate applications for FEMA assistance. Food, water, and additional resources will be available at the events. Event...
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio’s (R-FL) office will host in-person and virtual Mobile Office Hours next week to assist constituents with federal casework issues in their respective local communities. These office hours offer constituents who do not live close to one of...
Reimposed sanctions on Maduro are overdue and insufficient
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL)
April 19, 2024
…Last October, the United States waived constraints on Venezuela’s state-run oil, gas, and gold sectors in exchange for Maduro’s promise to administer a “free and fair” presidential election this year. That was a naïve decision with devastating consequences….
[President Biden] should have known Maduro would not keep his promises. What incentive does the narco-dictator have to allow the Venezuelan people to vote him out of office? …Beyond that, what is Maduro’s track record for negotiating in good faith?
Moreover, President Biden should have reimposed sanctions as soon as Maduro arbitrarily detained members of Machado’s campaign team…. But even when Maduro placed a ban on Machado, President Biden only restored sanctions on Venezuela’s state-run gold sector. That allowed the narco-regime to rake in roughly billions from oil and gas profits during February, March, and early April….
[This has] only emboldened Maduro. Just recently, the narco-dictator threatened open war against Guyana, a democracy with close economic ties to our government. Meanwhile, Venezuelans are no closer to being free from oppression….
My colleagues and I have repeatedly urged President Biden to maintain the 60 country-strong coalition that rejects Maduro’s legitimacy. Instead of going soft on the narco-dictator, the United States should collaborate with democratic partners to impose additional sanctions…and to enforce the 2020 indictment against Maduro and his cronies for terrorism, corruption, and drug trafficking.
Would these moves solve every problem in Venezuela? No. Nevertheless, they would help constrain the regime’s tyranny and diminish its cash flow…. President Biden’s strategy of appeasement has only prolonged Maduro’s grip on power.